A few years ago, Tacoma architect Jennifer Weddermann, AIA, was participating in a lecture series when she met an elderly woman. She asked for Weddermann’s opinions on bids she had received to add a little art room onto her current home. “I couldn’t believe how outrageous the bids were for a relatively simple project,” said Weddermann. She felt the bids represented an overall trend in the construction industry of greed and laziness.
From this encounter, Weddermann was inspired to create Moral Compass Construction, a “tiny construction company” serving the Tacoma area. Moral Compass has an open-book policy and will help homeowners with small remodels and household upkeep projects. The small, five-man team led by Weddermann will suggest cost savings by using repurposed materials and keeping subcontractors accountable. “While we aren’t a nonprofit, we are here to help people and support our community with a high level of design and client focus,” Weddermann said.
Principal and owner of Tacoma’s Weddermann Architecture, Weddermann operates this second business from a shop on her property. With her home office 15 feet away, she organizes her team and helps them to navigate the messy, complicated stuff, while teaching them design and construction skills. Moral Compass started out using unskilled laborers and trained them, an added benefit to the community. According to Weddermann, “I am happy to be passing along my experience in construction and design to these hardworking, worthy young people.”
Moral Compass is finding plenty of projects to complete including building some affordable housing triplexes in the Fern Hill neighborhood. “I have a passion for helping single moms and I want to be a positive influence on the housing market. I know we can build them less expensively and pass those savings along in the form of lower rent,” said Weddermann.
Have you received some bids and you just aren’t sure they are fair and equitable for the work you will be receiving? Weddermann encourages you to contact her and she will give you an honest opinion on the bids and maybe some advice. One tip she is adamant about: Do not give contractors a deposit. She believes if they don’t have credit with suppliers already, you don’t want to work with them anyway.
Weddermann’s Moral Compass is always pointing north.
For Additional Information
Weddermann Architecture
weddermann.com
BY LYNN CASTLE